In an apparent attempt to disrupt the militant group’s recent attacks, Hezbollah claimed on Wednesday that it had launched a ballistic missile towards the headquarters of the Israeli spy agency Mossad, which is located close to Tel Aviv.
Since the commencement of its nearly year-long conflict with Israel, which followed Hamas’ October 7 attack, this is the first time the group has claimed a ballistic missile strike.
Additionally, the Israeli military verified the attack by stating, “This marks the first time a Hezbollah missile has ever reached the Tel Aviv region. The Israeli military, or IDF, intercepted it.
Wednesday morning, after Tel Aviv sirens went off, the Israeli military claimed to have intercepted a missile fired from Lebanon.
“The Islamic Resistance launched a ‘Qader 1’ ballistic missile at 6:30am (0330 GMT) on Wednesday, 25-9-2024, targeting the Mossad headquarters in the outskirts of Tel Aviv,” Hezbollah stated in a statement.
“The assassination of leaders and the explosion of pagers and wireless devices is the responsibility of this headquarters,” it continued, alluding to the attacks that claimed many lives in Lebanon last week, among them a top commander.
It added, “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and in support of the Gazan people, that the strike was carried out.
Israeli forces and long-time adversaries Hezbollah have been engaged in almost constant cross-border gunfire since the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.
In response to the Hamas attack, Hezbollah and other militant groups supported by Iran have flocked to Gaza to fight in the conflict.
Recent days have seen a dramatic shift in Israel’s firepower priorities from Gaza to Lebanon.
It was the deadliest day of violence in Lebanon since the 1975–1990 civil war, according to the health ministry. At least 558 people were killed by Israeli strikes on Monday.